← The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Afterpage · week card
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R. Covey
Key ideas
- Be proactive.
- Begin with the end in mind.
- Put first things first.
- Think win-win, then seek to understand.
- Synergize and sharpen the saw.
The week
| Day 1 | Read the summary. Five key ideas and where the book overreaches. |
| Day 2 | Draw your two circles. Draw two circles, one inside the other, and fill them with your current concerns: the inner circle for things you can influence, the outer for things you can't. Bad day: Write one worry you can't control and one you can, with an action for the second. |
| Day 3 | Write your eulogy. Write a short paragraph describing what you'd want a close friend to say about you at your funeral. Bad day: Write one sentence that starts “At my funeral, I'd want them to say...” |
| Day 4 | Plan the week by roles. List your main roles, such as parent, manager, friend, and set one important but not urgent goal for each this week. Bad day: Pick one role and schedule one important but not urgent thing for it this week. |
| Day 5 | Listen without replying. In one conversation today, listen only to understand, then reflect back what the person said and felt before giving any view. Bad day: In your next conversation, paraphrase what someone said before you respond. |
| Day 6 | Look for the third option. Take one disagreement you're in and write down a solution better for both sides than either current position. Bad day: Write what the other side needs most in one disagreement you're in. |
| Day 7 | Schedule your renewal. Block time this week for one renewing activity in each of Covey's four areas: physical, mental, social, and spiritual. Bad day: Pick one of the four areas and do something for it for two minutes now. |
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